RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT

Providing low-cost modern technology to improve living conditions

Friendship has developed a clean, environmentally friendly and low-cost solar panel that powers a lighting system. It is adapted to suit the needs of the char dwellers and is designed to replace the traditional source of lighting in the poor rural areas of Bangladesh, the kerosene lamp. The kerosene lamp is inefficient, unhealthy in closed spaces and a dangerous source of fires. Friendship’s Solar Home System operates at the same cost to the user as the kerosene lamp and brings with it other advantages that greatly improve living standards.

“There’s sunshine in our house! It’s magical.”

What we do

Providing affordable solutions

Friendship’s Solar Home Lighting Systems are designed with affordability in mind, so that the users have to pay no more than the amount they were previously spending on a kerosene lamp. As a result, switching to this improved alternative has no additional cost. It also removes the need to face the uncertainty of fluctuating kerosene prices and the need to travel long distances to buy it.

Train electricians

We train local char dwellers to manage the installation and maintenance of the solar powered systems. Not only does this ensure that the system remains operational, it also provides locals with technical knowledge and employment opportunities.

Providing the poor with safe, low-cost electricity

Friendship,together with Engie, bring a little light into the lives of the vulnerable inhabitants in remote areas of Bangladesh by installing solar panels in communities.

More then 650 solar panels have been installed.

How we have made a difference

Extending the working day

Our solar lighting system allows rural families to extend their workday into the evening hours. With more light, children can study and work on their homework during the evening. Mothers can do more during daylight hours, because they can now cook the evening meal even after darkness falls. Small shops and market stalls are able to remain open after sunset, and tradesmen such as tailors can also benefit from better light, work longer hours and earn more.

Improved security

Solar Home Systems can also be used to provide some outdoor lighting. This provides the char dwellers with increased personal security at night and serves as a deterrent to potential thieves. People feel more secure with electric lighting inside and outside their home as they tend their small number of livestock and move around the family compound.

Improved health and safety

The risk of fires and burns to children is greatly reduced by the replacement of kerosene lamps by solar technology. The serious health risks caused by fumes from kerosene lamps in poorly ventilated houses are also eliminated by the use of clean energy from solar-powered systems.

Increased job opportunities

Solar panel systems actively contribute to job creation in the char communities. Friendship engages and trains local char dwellers to install and maintain the solar-powered systems in households. Young people are also encouraged to stay on in villages where home craft industries have developed, thanks to the ailability of improved lighting.

Think big, start small, begin now

Your donations will have a huge impact on the lives of those who need it most